Purple martins are
one of America's favorite birds. Their arrival each
spring is a much heralded event in many backyards
and their departure each fall marks the passing of
another year for many. In the eastern U.S. purple
martins nest almost exclusively in purple martin
houses and gourds provided by man. In the west they
nest more regularly in natural cavities.

Purple
Martin Scouts:
Scouts are the earliest arrivals each year. They
are the oldest members of the population and head
north each year to claim the best nesting
locations. Scouts can be either male or female
birds.

Purple martins
summer and nest in the eastern half of South
Dakota, and can be found throughout the state duing
migration. Look for scouts to start arriving in
early April. Martins move north as the weather
warms and insect populations start to increase so
the arrival time will vary from year to year and
from one part of the state to another.

Migration:
Purple martins winter in South America. The journey
can be as long as 5000 miles each way, each year!
Martins follow at least three different paths as
they return each spring. Some move through Mexico
on their way to the West Coast. Others cross the
Gulf of Mexico, leaving from the Yucatan Peninsula
or take a route through the Caribbean islands to
arrive in Florida.

Fall migration can
start as early as mid-July in some parts of the
country. In Florida migrants can be seen into
September or October, with isolated reports even
later in the the year. During the fall migration
flocks of thousands of martins can form for the
long trip south.

During the winter
season these birds are apparently concentrated
chiefly in the Amazon Valley of Brazil (Manaqueri,
Barra do Rio Negro, and Itaituba) but are found in
other parts of South America.

Nesting:
Martin nests typically have from five to six white
eggs. One egg is laid each day at sunrise and no
days are skipped until the egg-laying stops.
Incubation lasts about 15 days but may last longer
in cool weather. Purple martins fledge about 25-35
days after hatching.

Finally, here's a
glimpse at what noted ornithologist Alexander
Sprunt Jr. said about purple martins in the Bent
Life History series:

"It has always
seemed to me that literature has been somewhat
chary of the purple martin. Song and story have
long stressed the advent of robin, bluebird, and
goose as heralds of spring, and so they are, but is
the martin any less so? True, it comes somewhat
later than these others, but who can fail to thrill
when, on waking early one morning, one hears the
rich, gurgling calls of the first martin! It is a
signal that spring is really at hand, indeed, at
one's very door. When the martins come, can summer
be far behind? This largest of the swallows, in its
handsomely glossy livery, whether slurred by
literature or not, has ken a favorite with humanity
for many generations. Even before the White man
came to America's shores it was a dooryard bird in
Indian villages, and its status as such is
unchanged today. It is, beyond all doubt, the
"bird-box" species of this country. Its range is
extensive, almost universal indeed, and it occurs
from coast to coast and border to border. Young and
old admire it, encourage it, and protect it, and
those who have a word of criticism for it are few
and far between. Alexander Wilson said that, in his
day, he never found but one man who disliked the
martin, and many a modern ornithologist will have
had the same experience, if indeed it can be
matched! Some birds occupy high pedestals in human
regard, typified by the robin in the North and the
mockingbird in the South, but in North and South
the purple martin comes and goes as a welcome
arrival and regretful departure; an always invited
avian neighbor. Few are those anywhere who would
fail to subscribe heartily to the wish: may its
tribe increase." (Mr. Sprunt and Mr. Wilson are two
of America's best known and most respected early
ornithologists.)